Welcome back to a new school year at Runnymede.† I hope everyone had a refreshing holiday filled with exciting new experiences.

Every grade is an important one and Grade 6 is no exception.† The students will be immersed in new learning activities and are joining the Senior school this year.† The rotation element add some extra challenges for our students to get used to but we will be patient and offer support and reminders to make the transition successful.† Many schools in the TDSB have grade sixes in rotary settings so I feel confident that we can manage it.† Some of the more notable changes include lockers and an end to recess.

Without a doubt some back-to-school shopping has already taken place.† I have provided a pencil box for school -- students can bring materials for it but can keep other materials at home for homework purposes.† I also strongly suggest that students have access to these items:

∑a good dictionary and a thesaurus (or online resource);

∑an inexpensive math set with transparent ruler, protractor, etc.;

∑a binder to keep all notebooks and folders in one place for travel between classes;

∑extra pencils and pens;

∑pencil crayons and markers to use at home; and

∑a USB flash drive which is a handy item for transporting files and presentations to and from school.

In addition to these supplies I encourage every student to purchase a school agenda.† I make a point of reserving 10 minutes each day to copy our homework from the board in it each day.† I also request that parents review it each night.† The total cost for a school lock, agenda and yearbook is $38.

From a whole class point of view, I would like to request that each student bring one roll of paper towel and a box of Kleenex.† This will allow me to spend my classroom budget on more meaningful consumable items for the students.

I look forward to speaking with each of you throughout the year.† Do not hesitate to call.†

My class web page is being updated on the go.† The site contains many embedded links and a wide range of downloadable class handouts in case a student loses pages Iíve given out.† As part of my Eco-school effort I am severely reducing the number of extra copies I make and students will be directed to the website to replace missing work.† You can expect to see a fresh newsletter each month on this webpage.†

Daily homework updates will be provided on the Blog which is easier to update from the school network.†† You can subscribe to the posts so that you receive automatically each day.† The blog page also includes a monthly calendar.† Our class will be using the agenda consistently each day this year.† It contains useful reference material at the back and a copy of school policies at the front in addition to daily homework and comment space.† Please submit payments for the bundle of materials (lock, agenda, yearbook) in cash in keeping with our new school policy.† Exact change is also much appreciated.

Students will be using a photocopied workbook in Math.† By using these workbooks, students will be able to focus their efforts more on skill acquisition than on copying out problems.† It will be housed in a blue duo tang and each package will† be turned in at the end of a unit.† This is a logical progression of study and practice, is significantly cheaper than photocopying, reflects our boardís direction toward meaningful, manageable homework and combines all practice work in one organized location.